Container wrapping system



June 12, 1.962 ca. w. VON HOFE ETAL 3,038,391

CONTAIIIIIRv WRAPPING SYSTEM Filed Dec. 11, 1.959

7 Sheets-Sheet 1L INVENTORS GEORGE W Vfl/V HOPE June 12, 1962 G. w. VON HOFE ETAL 3,038,391

CONTAINERWRAPPING SYSTEM Filed Dec. 11, 1959 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 i INVENTORS GEORGE 14 vo/v HOPE H EDW/A/ wow/ 77 74 BY 3? M MV/(W A 7 TOlQ/VEVS June 12, 1962 s. w. VON HOFE ETAL 3,033,391

CONTAINER WRAPPING SYSTEM Filed Dec. 11, 1959 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 June 12, 1962 e. w. VON HOFE EIAL ,038,3

CONTAINER WRAPPING SYSTEM Filed Dec. 11, 1959 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTORS GEO/Q65 14 MN HOPE 0W/N A. WULFF 6 My rw ATTORNEYS J1me 1962 G. w. VON HOFE ETAL 3,038,391

CONTAINER WRAPPING SYSTEM Filed Dec. 11, 1959 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Tia. '7,

mmvroas 1 650,865 m m-A/ HOFE fDW/A/ K W01 FF 4 WWW ,4 TTOEA/EFS June 12, 1962 G. w. VON HOFE EIAL 3,038,391

CONTAINER WRAPPING SYSTEM 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 Filed Dec. 11, 1959 INVENTORS GFMGE Ml VflA/ HOPE BY EDW/A/ K woLFF ,4 TTOEA/EKS" June 12, 1962 Filed Dec. 11, 1959 G. w. VON HQFE ET'AL CONTAINER WRAPPING SYSTEM 7 Sheets$heet 7 V N E W NH T INVENTORS 650865 )1! WA /-/0FE EDWIN K. I l/0L ff i r tts tet Patented June 12, 1952 fire 3,438,391 CONTATNER WRAPPHJG SYSTEM George W. von Hofe, Miliington, and Edwin lit. Wolff, Stockholm, NJL, assignors to New Eersey Machine Corporation, Hoholren, Ni, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 11, 1959, Ser. No. 858,938 36 Ciaims. (6!. 9354) This invention relates to systems for applying wrappers, covers, labels or the like, generically termed wrappers, to container structures in the manufacture of setup boxes or their equivalent, book casings, and the like, and is concerned more particularly with mechanism for automatically feeding the boxes and wrappers to a transfer station from whence they are advanced to a wrapping machine positioned adjacent to such station.

The present invention relates to improvements in mechanism of the general construction shown in the pending patent applications filed by Edwin K. Wolff et al., Septemher 6, 1957, under Serial No. 682,475, now Patent No. 2,958,267, issued November 1, 1960, and by George W. von Hofe et 211., November 17, 1958, under Serial No. 774,424, new Patent No. 2,961,931, issued November 29, 1960.

In the system of this invention the box blanks are fed to a staying machine where they are stayed and then fed as set-up boxes to the transfer station. The wrappers for the set-up boxes are successively fed from a stack thereof through gluing mechanism for applying to each of such wrappers the required amount of glue needed in assembling the same on the set-up box. The glued wrappers are then delivered to a conveyor which feeds them in a step-by-step fashion to the transfer station. At the transfer station, a box and wrapper are brought into registered, but spaced relation and while maintained in such registered relation are transferred to the wrapping machine where the wrapper is completely applied to the set-up box. All of the aforesaid operations are automatic and do not require the services of an operator. Both the set-up box and the wrapper are under automatic positive control from the time they are fed as blanks from the stacks thereof until their assembly into a complete set-up box. Up to the time this assembly takes place in the wrapping machine, however, both the set-up box and the wrapper are treated as separate independent units. It is thus possible that should either the staying machine for any reason fail to provide a set-up box for delivery to the transfer station, or the wrapper feed mechanism for any reason fail to feed wrappers without interruption in the succession thereof to the transfer station, that the system would not function properly and efficiently.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a system of the type disclosed in the aforesaid applications wherein mechanism is provided for detecting the set-up boxes produced by the staying machine as they are fed to the transfer station and for utilizing this information to control the feed of the wrappers from the stack thereof to the gluing mechanism.

It is a further object of the invention to utilize the production of the staying machine to control automatically the mechanism for feeding the wrappers to the transfer station so that each set-up box produced will control the feed of a particular wrapper therefore in such manner that both will come into registration at the transfer station, and so that any interruption in the production of such staying machine causing interruption in the feed of such set-up boxes to the transfer station will cause such wrapper feeding mechanism to fail to feed a corresponding wrapper for the missing box.

Another object of the invention is to provide wrapper feeding means capable of feeding glued wrappers so that they will be accurately and precisely registered relative to the set-up boxes at the transfer station.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a system of the type indicated in which the wrappers are utilized to control the means for feeding them to the transfer station.

Another object of the invention is to provide a system of the type indicated wherein the wrappers are utilized to control the operation of the mechanism for transfer-ring the associated registered set-up boxes and wrappers from the transfer station to the wrapping machine and to render such mechanism incapable of operating on the set-up boxes wherever there is a failure of delivery of a wrapper to the transfer station.

It is another object of the invention to provide a system of the type indicated in which the wrappers are utilized to control the staying machine for producing them and the line of set-up "boxes which has been produced by such machine.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a system of the type indicated wherein the transfer mechanism is automatically adjusted to compensate for a possible lateral shift of a portion of the belt as it is traveling toward the transfer station and thus also a shift of r a wrapper carried by such belt portion relative to the box with which it is to be associated at the transfer station.

Other objects of the invention, as well as the advantages and novel details of construction thereof will appear from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a container wrapping system embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of a portion of the gluer and wrap feed machine in the system and illustrating its association with the entry end of the wrap conveyor;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged end elevational view of the parts for driving and braking the conveyor to which the wraps are delivered by the gluer and wrap feed machine;

FIG. 4 is a top plan View of the parts shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged top plan view of the discharge end of the wrap conveyor and showing in plan view the scanning mechanism, the box side alignment mechanism, and a portion of the transfer mechanism associated with said discharge end;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing in schematic form the several optical components of the scanning mechanism;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing in schematic form the association of the scanning mechanism with the control cabinet for the system and the cooperating timing mechanism;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view showing schematically the latching means in association with the box feed conveyor for relieving the pressure on the first box in the line thereof at the transfer station;

FIG. 9 is a transverse elevational view, partly in section, of the transfer mechanism for feeding the box and wrapper elements from the transfer station to the wrapping machine, the view being taken in the direction of feed of the wrapper conveyor;

FIG. 10 is an elevational view showing schematically the latching means for preventing the feed of a box at the transfer station to the wrapping machine in the event the wrapper for such box is not provided on the wrapper conveyor; and

FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view of the entry end of a modified form of the wrapper conveyor.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, in the system of this invention, as in the systems shown in the aforesaid Patents Nos. 2,958,267 and 2,961,931, the wrappers a of the box or container structures are fed in a successive r) fashion from a glue and wrap feed machine A which selects the wrappers from a stack thereof, applies adhesive material to the box engaging surfaces of such wrappers and then delivers such wrappers, adhesive coated face uppermost, to a conveyor B. The adhesive coating may, as is shown in 'FIG. 1, be applied to the wrappers as lines of glue 1) along the outer edges thereof when such wrappers are used to manufacture the type of boxes which are known to the trade as loose wrap set-ups, or such adhesive coating may be applied to the entire areas of the wrappers when the latter are utilized to make the tight wrap type of set-up box. The conveyor B is driven by known driving mechanism, the control panel of which is indicated generally in FIG. 1 of the drawings by the numeral 121, and which mechanism intermittently steps the conveyor along to advance the wrappers a in a step-by-step fashion into registered position at a transfer station D. The wrappers are successively transferred from station D to a wrapping machine E. The driving mechanism 121 causes the conveyor B to advance the wrappers in timed relation with the box conveying means so that successive wrappers a are successively brought into proper registry at the transfer station with boxes delivered by such conveying means therefor, in timed relation with the mechanism for transferring such wrappers and boxes from the conveyor B to the wrapping machine E, and in timed relation with the wrapping machine. During the travel of the wrappers from the gluing machine A to the transfer station D and until such wrappers leave the conveyor in their travel from their registered position at the transfer station to the wrapping machine E, suction is applied to the undersurfaces thereof through the conveyor belt B to hold them flat and in the predetermined positions in which they have been deposited upon the conveyor by the gluer A.

The boxes 0 to which the wrappers are to be applied in making the desired container structures are fabricated in a box staying machine F constructed as shown and described in co-pending application Serial No. 655,214 filed by George W. von Hofe et al., April 26, 1957, now Patent No. 2,982,188, issued May 2, 196 1. The box stayer F has incorporated therewith a conveyor G for feeding the stayed boxes to a conveyor I which advances the boxes towards the transfer station D and to a position in which the leading box in the line thereof on conveyor I may be properly engaged by the transfer mechanism located at such station and designated generally by the letter H in FIG. 1 of the drawings. During a dwell period of the conveyor B, the transfer mechanism operates to shift an associated wrapper and box as two independent and separate elements transversely across the conveyor B toward the wrapping machine E. The transfer mechanism deposits the wrapper on the lower half or part of a form block in the wrapping machine and brings the box into proper position to be stripped from the transfer mechanism by the upper half of the form block.

While the transfer mechanism is in its advanced dwell position with the wrapper and box positioned as aforesaid, the upper half of the form block will move into the box, strip it from the transfer mechanism and drive the box into engagement with the wrapper. The form block as a whole will then move without pause down into the wrapping machine E, taking the now assembled wrapper and box with it. During such downward movement of the form block, the wrapping tools of the machine will apply the side and end panels of the wrapper to the corresponding sides of the associated box in a manner well known in the art to complete the container structure.

The gluer and wrap feed machine A may include many of the structural features provided in any suitable type of known construction such, for example, as the mechanism shown in the Wolff et a1. Patent No. 2,726,861, issued December 13, 1955. As in the construction of this patent, the gluer and wrap feed machine A hereof is provided with a suction head pivotally connected at 11 to a vertically movable member (not shown) and operable to pick up successively the top wrappers a in the stack 12 thereof and to deliver them to a pair of feeding rollers 13 and 14, as is indicated in dotted outline in FIG. 2 of the drawings herein. Suction is developed in the head 11 through a tube 15 which is connected at its other end to a three way valve 16 controlled by a box detector 17 in FIG. 1. Associated with valve 16 is a rocking lever 18 pivoted at 19 and connected at one end with the armature of a solenoid 29. The solenoid 20 is electrically connected to the box detector 17 which is constituted of a switch mounted on a side rail of the conveyor 1 at the entry end of the latter and operable by each box 0 that is delivered to the guide by the staying machine F. When the detector 17 is operated by a box, solenoid 2% is actuated to pivot lever 18 counter clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 2, and thereby seat a valve member 21 on one end of a passageway 22 provided in the valve 16 and in communication with the tube 15. The valve member 21 is connected by means of a tube 23 to a source of suction, such as a suction pump, so that when the member is so seated suction is provided in passageway 22, tube 15 and head 19. The operation of the machine A is so coordinated with the operation of the stayer F that a box 0 will actuate the box detector 17 to cause solenoid 21 to pivot lever 18 to the position in which suction is provided in the head 10 just prior to the time the head 1t} in the normal continuous operation of the machine A, engages the topmost wrapper in the stack 12. A condition of suction will be maintained in head 1%} until the leading edge of the gripped wrapper has been transferred to the feeding rollers 13, 14. Should the stayer F fail to feed a box c to operate detector 17 in the manner described, lever 18 will remain in the position shown in FIG. 2 so that no suction will be provided in the head 11 at the time of its next engagement with the top of the stack. The head 10 will therefore be unable to pick up and deliver a wrapper a to the feeding rollers 13, 14 on its next advancing stroke. The machines A and F and the conveyor B are also so constructed and coordinated that the box 0 which actuates the detector 17 controls the feed from the stack 12 of the particular wrapper which is to cover such box, and such box and wrapper will arrive together at the transfer station D to be combined by the wrapping machine B.

When the lever 18 is in the position shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, the valve member 21 connects the suction tube 23 with a passageway 24 in valve 16 to apply suction through a tube 25 to the pivotal suction member of a sheet separating mechanism 26 constructed and operated as disclosed in said Patent 2,726,861. Suction will be applied to the sheet separating mechanism 26 after the suction head 16} has delivered a wrapper to the feeding rollers 13 and 1d and until just prior to the time that such head is retracted to engage the next topmost sheet in the stack 12 to be delivered to the feeding rollers. The feed roller 13 is intermittently driven while the cooperating roller 14 is an idler roller carried by a shaft 27 arranged to periodically move the roller 14 toward and away from roller 13. In the operation of machine A, the rollers 13 and 14 are spaced apart during the transfer of a wrapper by the suction head 11 and are cooperatively associated as soon as the leading edge of the wrapper has been inserted therebetween and until the leading edge of such wrapper has been engaged by wrapper positioning means 31 at the entry end of conveyor B, as is indicated by the dotted wrapper a in FIG. 2. In the wrapper feeding action of the rollers 13 and 14, the wrapper a is fed into engagement with the glue applying surfaces of a roll 35 which is adjacent to a transfer roll 36 journalled to rotate in a supply of suitable adhesive material provided in a container 37. The wrapper is detached from roll 35 by a pick-off device 38 which deflects the same into engagement with the surface of a roll 39 located between horizontal plates 40, 41. The upper portion of the surface of roll 39 and the top surfaces of the plates 40, 41 are substantially level with the upper run of conveyor B. At the proper time in the cycle of the machine A, the positioning means 30 which is operated intermittently under the control of a cam operated intermittent drive such as is disclosed in von Hofe et al. Patent No. 2,769,561, is rotated even though a wrapper is not fed by the suction head 18. In the rotational movement of means 38 which is in the form of a sector, the arcuate surface thereof rolls on the periphery of roll 39. During such rolling action of sector 30 and roll 39 the two cooperate to advance and place the wrapper firmly on the entry end of the conveyor B and to hold the wrapper as it is being fed forwardly onto the upper run of such conveyor so that it cannot get out of adjustment relative to the conveyor during such portion of its feed. The timing of the sector member 30 is such that the ad vanced end thereof engages a wrapper being fed to the conveyor B as close as possible to the leading edge of such wrapper to enable such member to maintain substantially all of the wrapper emerging from between device 38 and roll 39 in registered position until the wrapper is gripped by the suction which is applied through the openings in the upper run of the conveyor. When the Wrapper is provided with lines of glue b as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the member 30 is preferably adjusted so that the advanced end thereof engages the Wrapper immediately in back of the glue line on the leading edge of the wrapper. When, however, the wrapper is provided with a coating of glue, as in the case of wrappers for tight wrap boxes, the advanced end of member 30 should preferably engage the wrapper quite closely to the leading edge thereof. In order that the adherence of the glued wrapper to the member 30/ may be minimized, the wrapper engaging surface of such member is preferably made of a material 42 which will not adhere to adhesives of the kind that are usually provided on such wrappers. A suitable material for this purpose is the resinous substance which is sold under the trademark Teflon and which provides a surface to which such adhesives do not adhere. The length of the arcuate surface of the sector member 30 is such as to assure that the gripping action of such sector and the roll 39 on the wrapper being fed will be maintained until suflicient of the wrapper has been firmly gripped by the vacuum applied thereto through the openings in the upper run of the conveyor B to hold the advancing remaining portion of the wrapper in proper registered relation to the line of feed of the Wrapper on the conveyor. The sector member 30 continues its rotary movement in each intermittent movement thereof until it makes a complet revolution and comes to rest with its advanced end spaced sufficiently from roll 39 to permit the feed of the leading edge of a succeeding wrapper therebetween.

It will be understood from the foregoing, that in the operation of machine A, each wrapper fed thereby to the conveyor B will initially be registered longitudinally relative to the latter by the pick-off device 38 and roller 39 and that such registration of the wrapper will be maintained by the coaction of roller 39 and the sector member 30 until the wrapper is firmly gripped by the suction of such conveyor. The conveyor B is fully disclosed in the a foresaid copending application Serial No. 682,475 so that it is believed sufiicient here to point out the general features only of the same. As is indicated in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, the conveyor B comprises an elongated suction box 45 provided with a flat, perforated upper wall on which rests the upper run 46 of the endless belt of the conveyor which forms the support for the wrappers being advanced by such conveyor. As in the construction disclosed in said copending application, the chamber of suction box 45 is in communication with the suction side of a blower or pump 47, while the outlet side of the blower is connected to a nozzle arranged to discharge air under pressure at the transfer station D against the underside of a wrapper being shifted from the rear longitudinal edge of the conveyor to the wrapping machine by the transfer mechanism H. The endless belt of the conveyor is provided with perforations 48 so that as the upper run thereof travels on the perforated upper wall of the suction box 45 during operative periods of the machine, the suction developed in such box and effective through such perforated upper wall thereof will be effective also at the wrapper carrying surface of the conveyor or support. The suction so developed at the carrying surface of the upper run 46 of the conveyor belt is a relatively light suction which is sutficient to maintain the wrappers in flattened condition and to hold them on the upper run in the positions in which they were placed thereon by the above described mechanism of the gluer and wrap feed machine A. Such suction, however, is not sufiicient in intensity to interfere materially with the slidable shifting movement imparted to a wrapper on such upper run at the transfer station D as such Wrapper is being transferred to the wrapping mechanism.

As previously mentioned, the conveyor B is intermittently advanced by operating mechanism controlled from control panel 121 and makes one step for each cycle of the wrapping machine E to advance each wrapper thereon one step toward the transfer station D and to bring the leading wrapper thereon into registered position at such transfer station D at the end of each such step. The step-by-step movement of the conveyor takes place while the form block of the wrapping machine E is moving through its lower positions wherein the wrapping operations take place. The conveyor B is also synchronized in its operation with the operation of the gluer and wrap feed machine A in a manner well known in the art to effect such successive registration of the Wrappers at the transfer station. The mechanism for advancing the conveyor B forms part of a common drive which is continuously operating while the system is in operation and which also drives the gluer and wrap feed machine A, the transfer mechanism, H and the wrapping machine E. This common drive, however, is not employed for the operation of the box staying machine F, which machine has its own drive that is controlled by a one revolution clutch in the manner disclosed in said Patent No. 2,982,- l88 to stop the staying machine after each cycle of operation thereof. The machine A, conveyor B and wrapping machine E are operatively associated in a manner substantially like that disclosed in said Patent No. 2,958,267. The operation of machine A, conveyor B and the wrapping machine B may be started by the operator depressing a starting button 49 in FIG. 1 which locks in in operated position. The three units will then operate automatically through a complete cycle of operations and will recycle without interruption in an automatic fashion to feed successive wrappers and to assemble and complete box assemblies in the wrapper E. During such recycling operations, the machine A as we have seen, will continuously feed wrappers at a predetermined rate under the control of the box detector 17 which will render the suction head 10 of such machine inoperative. to feed a wrapper, although it goes through the motions of doing so, whenever the box stayer F fails to deliver a corresponding box c. As in the construction described and shown in the aforesaid von Hofe Patent No. 2,982,188, the wrapper E also sets the pace of operation of the stayer F. The connections betweens the stayer F and wrapper E are essentially similar to those described in said von Hofe application so that the wrapper will control the start of each cycle of the stayer which thereupon will progress through its prescribed series of operations for such cycle and will then automatically come to a stop under the control of its one revolution clutch and await the next actuation by the wrapper. Thus, if the wrapper E continues to operate, the staying machine F will run with it cycle for cycle, but if the wrapper does not continue operating for any reason, the staying machine will re- 7 main at rest after it has completed the last cycle initiated by the wrapper and until it is again actuated by the Wrapper.

Returning now to the operation of conveyor B, .the mechanism for intermittently driving the same initiates the advancing movements of the conveyor as the leading edges of the wrappers a pass over the feeding roll 39 in machine A and the segment member 36 starts its advancing movements. This advancing movement of the conveyor is maintained until the upper run thereof has traveled toward the transfer station D a distance approximately equal to the distance to be allowed for spacing between the wrappers plus the length of the wrappers being fed. The advance of the conveyor in each intermittent movement thereof is terminated either by electrical scanning means controlled by the wrappers being fed by the conveyor and controlling the conveyor driving mechanism, or by what may be termed mechanical control means which automatically tend to come into operation to stop the driving action of the intermittently operable mechanism each time the upper run of the conveyor has advanced through a distance approximately equal to the distance it normally advances in its step-by-step movement. The arrangement of the electrical and mechanical control means is such that the former will come into action before the latter to control the operation of the conveyor when the machine A is successively feeding the wrappers without interrup'rion to the conveyor B in its cycling operations. Whenever the electrical control means so acts, the mechanical control means is rendered inoperative to exercise any control on the conveyor driving mechanism. However, when the machine A for any reason fails to feed a wrapper, as when the box detector 17 renders the suction head inoperative to pick up a wrapper from the stack, the electrical control means will fail to act and as in this situation it will not effect the mechanical control means, the latter will thereupon operate to stop the advancement of the conveyor.

The mechanism for driving the conveyor B, as disclosed in FIGS. 1 to 4 of the drawings, includes the driving roller 55 for the conveyor belt, which roller is mounted on a shaft 56 rotatably supported by frame members 57 and a bearing 58 provided on a bracket 59 carried by a frame member 57. Rotatably mounted on shaft 56 is a clutch member 60 provided with a sprocket wheel 61 which is connected by a chain 62 to a sprocket wheel 63 keyed to constantly rotating main drive shaft 64 of the common drive for the associated units. Associated with clutch member 60 is a cooperating clutch member 65 slidably mounted on shaft 56 and provided on its outer end with a slot which is engaged by a rib or projection 66 of a driver 67 keyed to shaft 56, The clutch member 65 is provided with an annular groove 68 which receives the arms of a yoke 69 provided on the upper end of the vertically disposed arm 70 of a lever mounted for pivotal movement about a shaft 71 rotatably supported by the bracket 59. The other arm 72 of the lever extends downwardly away from bracket 57 and is connected at its lower end by means of a spring 73 to a lever 74 which is rotatably mounted on shaft 71 and is normally vertically disposed and aligned with lever arm 70. The spring 73 is connected to lever 74 at a point spaced substantially below shaft 71 and is sufliciently strong to enable lever arm 70 and lever 74 to function as a unit under certain conditions of operation. The provision of the proper amount of load which is required on spring 73 to enable lever arm 7 t) and lever 7 4 both to function as a unit and to move relative to one another in the operations of the machine, and the maintenance of the latter in their desired angular relation is accomplished by an adjusting screw 75 mounted on lever arm 72 and abutting the longitudinal edge of lever 74 which is positioned between the same. The composite lever composed of lever arm 70 and lever 74 is provided at its lower end with a cam roller 76 which engages with the cam surface 70 of a cam 77 secured to the main drive shaft 64. The cam roller 76 is maintained in contact with cam 77 by means of a spring 73 secured at one end to the lever arm 70 and at its other end to the bracket 59.

It will be understood from the foregoing, that the continuously turning shaft 64 through sprocket 63, chain 62 and sprocket 61, continuously rotates clutch member 69 on shaft 56. When the cam surface of cam 77 permits, the spring 78 pulls the lever arm 70 and lever 74 as a unit to bring the ratchet teeth of clutch member 65 into engagement with the ratchet teeth of clutch member 69, whereby shaft 64 is connected in driving relation with shaft 56 to drive the conveyor roll 55. This driving connection is maintained by a pair of hardened latch plates Si 81, which lock the clutch member 65 in interengaged position which clutch member 60 after it has been advanced to such position in the manner described, and until either the aforesaid electrical or mechanical control means come into operation to unlatch such plates 80, 81. As is shown more clearly in FIG. 4 of the drawings, the latch plate 80 is mounted on the rear leg of the yoke 69 and in the unlatched position thereof shown in such figure is positioned to prevent the forward movement of latch plate 81 toward shaft 56. Latch plate 81 is mounted on the outer end of a lever 82 which is pivoted at its other end on an eccentric stud 83 that may be adjusted to shift the position of lever 82 lengthwise and thereby to adjust the position of latch plate 81 relative to latch plate 80. The free or outer end of lever 82 has further connected thereto one end of a spring 84 which is connected at its other end to bracket 59 so as to bias lever 82 toward the shaft 56. It will thus be seen that when the jaws of clutch members 60, 65 are closed in the manner above described, the latch plate 80 is also moved with clutch member 65 and out of the way of latch plate 31 which can then move forwardly toward shaft 56 to block the return movement of latch plate 80. The cam surface 79 of cam 77 is so configured that as soon as the jaws of clutch members 60 and 65 are engaged to start the conveyor belt moving, such cam surface forces cam roller 76 and consequently lever 74 in a counter clockwise direction about shaft 71. As lever arm 70 cannot follower lever 74 completely in this rotation because of the interference of plate 81 with the complete return of latch plate 80, lever 74 loads up spring 73. As above indicated, the interference between plates 80 and 81 is set by the adjustment of eccentric stud 83 and is preferably such that when lever 74 is so rotated the teeth of clutch members 60 and 65 are still engaged to the extent that the former can drive the latter. The interference between the two plates is accomplished by the engagement of a portion only of their opposed end surfaces and such engagement may be readily broken by the application of a force not substantially greater than that required to overcome the tension of spring 84. It will be seen that in this condition of the parts, the clutch members 60 and 65 are maintained in driving engagement by the latching action of plates 80 and 81, but the arrangement therebetween is such that under the influence of the now heavily loaded spring 73, they can readily be triggered to stop the conveyor by the application of a relatively small force to the latch plate 81. The means for applying this force comprises a solenoid 87 which is connected to lever 82 so as to retract the same and thereby move plate 81 out of the path of plate 80, when such solenoid is energized by reason of the electrical control means signalling that a wrap is in register, or by reason of the mechanical control means automatically operating at the end of a predetermined interval. When the solenoid 87 so pulls plate 81 out of the way of plate 80, the heavily loaded spring 73 is then enabled to cause lever arm 70 to rotate in a counter clockwise direction to disengage clutch member 65 from member 6%) and thereby break the driving connection between main driveshaft 64 and the driving roller 55 of conveyor B. The circuit containing solenoid 87 also includes an electric brake 88 mounted on bracket 5h and associated with that end of shaft 56 supported by hearing 58. Thus, simultaneously with the energizing of solenoid 87, brake SS is energized to stop the rotational movement of shaft 56 and thereby immediately stop the advancing movement of conveyor B. As a result of the foregoing operation, the latch plates 81 and 81 and the associated lever and clutch parts are in proper relation to again connect conveyor B in driving relation with the main drive shaft 64 in the following cycle of the system. In order that this driving connection may be operative it is necessary that the electric brake 8B be released just prior to the closing of the clutch parts so, 65. At the same time, solenoid 87 should be deenergized to release plate 81 and enable it to advance toward shaft 56 under the tension of spring 84 to block the return of plate 811 and the disengagement of such clutch parts until either the photoelectric scanner signals the fact that a wrap is in register, or the mechanical control means comes into operation in the event no wrap has been fed past the photoelectric scanner in the particular cycle.

The photoelectric scanner unit is indicated generally in FIGS. 1 and 5 of the drawings by the reference numeral 99. The scanner unit housing 91 is supported in spaced relation above the upper run 46 of conveyor B by a longitudinally extending supporting plate 92 secured at one end to housing 91 and adjustably mounted at its other end on the inner end of a second supporting plate 93. As shown in FIG. 5, the inner end of plate 93 is provided with an adjusting screw 94 which extends through an elongated slot 95 in plate 92 to enable the latter to be adjusted longitudinally relative to the upper conveyor run as. Plate 93 is also positioned in spaced relation to the conveyor run as and extends transversely of the latter toward and beyond a side edge of such run. The plate 93 extends through a supporting block mounted on the suction box 45 of conveyor B and is adjustably secured in position relative thereto by a clamping bolt as provided on such block. The scanner unit may thus be adjusted longitudinally and laterally relative to the upper conveyor run 46 and is preferably positioned so that the longitudinally extending area or section of the belt which will afford the required contrast with the wrap for a proper operation of the scanner unit passes directly beneath the light beam from the scanner. The wrappers a are fed by the gluer and wrap feed machine A in the manner previously explained so that the centerlines thereof are coincident with the longitudinal centerline of the belt and in alignment with a longitudinally extending color band 1% provided on the conveyor belt to afford a sharp contrast in color between the belt and the wrappers and thereby facilitate the operation of the scanner. As indicated in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the color band 1% is preferably composed of a multiplicity of longitudinally extending color lines to take care of differently colored wrappers. The scanner is adjusted across the belt so as to be on that color line or belt background that gives the scanner the best contrast with the wrapper being used. Thus, if the color of the wrappers a being fed by the conveyor belt is best contrasted with the color line which is centrally located in the band 1% and which is indicated by the numeral 101 in FIG. 1, the scanne unit is adjusted transversely of the belt by adjustment of the supporting plates 92 and 93 thereof until the beam of such unit is in alignment with such color line 1111. The scanner unit beam therefor will be directed upon that particular color line 1131 as the conveyor belt travels beneath the unit except when prevented from doing so by passage of a wrapper therebetween.

As is shown in PEG. 6 of the drawings, the housing 91 of the scanner unit contains a lens 105 which focuses light beams from a light source 1134 on a triangular prism 1%. A mounting 116 for the prism supports the same so that the focused light from lens 165 enters the prism through the vertical surface 1117 thereof, and is deflected by the inclined silvered prism surface 111$ through the third prism surface 1119 and towards the upper run 46 of the conveyor. The light from the prism 106 forms a spot 113 of light on the conveyor run 46. The light striking the upper run 46 at spot 113 i reflected therefrom to a prism 110 substantially similar to prism 196 and supported by similar mounting means in association with prism 106. The reflected light passing into prism 110 is directed by the silvered inclined surface of the latter associated lens 111 which focuses the light on an aperture 114 provided in a Wall of an opaque casing 115 containing a phototube 112, the light passing through such aperture impinging on the filament of the phototube 112. It will be noted from FIG. 6 of the drawings that the light transmitting system composed of source 1114, lens 1115 and prism 106 is arranged in the scanner housing 91 in substantial parallelism with the light receiving system composed of prism 11%, lens 111 and phototube 112, and that the corresponding components of the two systems are substantially paired together. The mounting means 116 for the two prisms are capable of supporting the prisms with their longitudinal axes inclined to the vertical and to each other so that the rays emitted from prism 166 are directed to the conveyor surface at such angle to the vertical that the major portion of such beams will be reflected directly from such surface into the prism 110. This angular relation will be dependent on the positions of the prisms relative to each other and to the upper run 46 of the associated conveyor belt and may be larger or smaller depending upon the conditions of operation to be met. The prism mounting means preferably include means for adjusting the positions of the prisms 10b and 111 relative to each other so that the proper angular relation is obtained for the particular position of the scanner housing 91 relative to its associated belt run 46. As has been indicated, the area of the upper run on which the spot of light 113 is provided, is preferably located on that color band 100 which provides the best contrast to the particular color of the wrappers being fed, i.e., the color line 1111 in the example illustrated.

The phototube 112 is electrically connected by a shielded cable 120 to the electrical apparatus in the electronic control box 121 in FIGS. 1 and 7 and to a plurality of controlling microswitches provided in an associated timing cabinet 122. All signals created in the phototube 112 re sulting from the sharp contrasts in color produced as the leading and trailing edges of the wrappers successively pass through the area of the scanning spot of light 113 go through the cable 120 and into the control box 121. The electrical circuit in the control box 121 is so constructed and arranged that certain of the signals reaching such box are transmitted in amplified condition directly to electrically operated control devices, while others of such signals pass in amplified condition into the timing cabinet 122 before being directed by the electrical means in the control box to electrically operated control devices. As has previously been indicated the leading edges of the wrappers create signals in the phototube 112 for controlling certain of the systems operations, while the signals created by the trailing edges of the wrappers control other operations. In accordance with the invention, the circuit arrangement is such that as the leading edge of a wrapper traveling toward the transfer station D on the conveyor run 46 cuts the light beams directed by prism 1196 to the color line 101, the resulting signal sent by the scanner unit 119 to the control box 121 (1) causes the box stayer machine F to stay and feed a box to the conveyor I; (2) enables the transfer mechanism H (a) to grasp the box which was registered at the transfer station in the previous cycle of the machine for that particular wrapper, for transference with such wrapper to the wrapping machine E, and (b) to engage the foremost box on conveyor I for registration at the transfer station at the same time that the then registered box is being transferred to the wrapper E, and (3) causes the release of one of the boxes which have been stopped in their feed by conveyor I to a position to be engaged by the transfer mechanism H for 1 1 registration at the transfer station, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

The control box 124 of the box stayer machine F is electrically connected by a cable 123 to and controlled by a control relay provided in control box 121. The circuit arrangement is such that when a signal from the scanner unit produced by the front edge of a wrapper a is received into the control box, the aforesaid control relay is momentarily operated to close the circuit in the box stayer control box 124 to start the operation of the box stayer machine. As has been previously indicated, the machine will operate through one complete cycle and then automatically come to a stop.

The boxes c completed by the box stayer F in the cycles of operation thereof are deposited upon the conveyor G thereof in the manner described in said application Serial No. 655,214. As is in the arrangement shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the stayer F may be so positioned with relation to the transfer station D of the conveyor B that the stayed boxes flow from within the interior of such stayer, out through the front discharge end of such stayer and towards such transfer station in a direction parallel to but opposing the line of feed of the Wrappers a on conveyor B. However, the units may be arranged differently so that the stayed boxes flow toward the trans fer station in the same direction as the wrappers, or in a direction at right angles to the direction of feed of the wrappers, or at any other angle to the line of feed of the wrappers considered desirable in a particular installation. In the construction disclosed, the conveyor G of the stayer F feeds the completed boxes to the conveyor 1 which, in substantially the manner disclosed in said Patent No. 2,961,931, is incorporated in the transfer mechanism H as an integral part thereof and is positioned in such mechanism adjacently to the barrel cam for actuating the same and to the discharge end of conveyor B. The conveyor 1 feeds the boxes to an end stop 141 which holds the box engaging the same in proper position to be moved by the transfer mechanism H into registered position above the place of registration of the wrappers. The distance between the end stop 140 and the entry end of such conveyor is usually substantial and such that more than fifteen boxes may be accommodated on such portion of the conveyor. It will be apparent, therefore, that if a solid line of boxes extending from the end stop 141} to the stayer F is permitted, there will be considerable pressure exerted through such boxes by the continuously moving conveyor I on the leading box in engagement with the end stop 1411. This pressure can be of such strength that it will substantially effect the facility with which the transfer mechanism in its operations removes the leading boxes in the line.

As has been previously indicated, the scanner unit 913, in accordance with the present invention, controls the pressure so applied to the leading box in the line by controlling the operation of an escapement device which normally forms a second stop for the line of boxes at a point located between end stop 140 and the entry end of conveyor I. As is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 of the drawings, this escapement device comprises a depending latch member 141 provided on the vertically reciprocable armature of a solenoid 142 suitably mounted on a bracket 1 13 supported on the frame of conveyor I. The parts are so constructed and arranged that when the solenoid is energized the latch member 141 will be maintained in such retracted position that the boxes may pass freely therebeneath. When, however, the solenoid 142 is deenergized latch member 141 is advanced to the extent that the lower end thereof moves into the path of travel of the boxes on conveyor G and prevents the feed thereof towards the stop 14!). The bracket 143 is positioned on conveyor 1 so that the latch member 141 is spaced from the end stop 1411 a distance somewhat greater than the lengths of four boxes so that a line of only four boxes will form against the end stop 140 and the fifth box will be held spaced from such line by the latch member. The engagement of the fifth box by latch member 141 is preferably with the rear or trailing end wall thereof so that when such member is retracted both the latched box and the front or leading end wall of the succeeding box or sixth box will pass thereunder and so that the latch member after it has been so retracted will have time enough to advance again into position to block the rear wall of such succeeding box. In this fashion the greater portion of a line of boxes built up on conveyor I will be stopped by the latch member 141 and the forces which such boxes would otherwise apply to the leading box will be removed from the latter. As previously stated, the latch member 141 is retracted to permit a box to escape each time the scanner unit 91) is actuated by the front or leading edge of a wrapper passing thereunder. The signal that goes from the scanner unit 9t, through cable 121) and into the control cabinet 121 is transmitted in a known fashion to momentarily energize solenoid 1 42 to release the latched box in the manner above explained. As the foremost box in the line extending from stop 1411 is being simultaneously re-. moved by the transfer mechanism, the released box as it is advanced by the conveyor 1 into such line, will maintain the number of boxes in such line at four.

The transfer mechanism H for cyclically removing the lead boxes from conveyor 1 is substantially similar in construction to the transfer mechanism described and shown in said Patents Nos. 2,958,267 and 2,961,931, and like such previously disclosed mechanism includes upper and lower transfer means to move the associated box and wrapper elements from the transfer station 1) to the wrapper E. As in the previously disclosed mechanisms and especially in the transfer mechanism disclosed in Patent No. 2,961,931, the transfer mechanism H herein includes a carriage in FIGS. 5 and 9 slidably mounted on a pair of parallel guide rails 151 and reciprocated thereon through a fixed stroke by a rod 152, arm 153 and a vertical shaft 154 which is connected to a suitably designed barrel cam for causing such reciprocating movements. The carriage 150 is provided with a vertically movable block 155 which carries the members 156 for transferring the leading box on conveyor 1 to a position on a pair of spaced rails 157 where it will be in registry with a wrapper to be subsequently registered at the transfer station. The block 155 also carries the box gripping members 158, 159 for transferring a registered box at the transfer station D to the wrapping machine E. The block 155 is further provided at its upper end with a cam roller 160 arranged to ride on a horizontally disposed track 161 extending transversely of the conveyor. The track 161 is supported at its ends by a pair of arms 162, 162 secured to an os'cillatably mounted shaft 163. Forming part of arm 162 and extending rearwardly beyond shaft 163 is an arm 164 which is connected at its outer end to the upper end of a vertically disposed connecting rod 165 (note FIGS. 5 and 10). The lower end of rod 165, as in the previously disclosed constructions, is provided with a cam member which engages the slot of a cam designed to raise and lower the block 155 through the above described parts.

It will be understood from the foregoing that the block 155 is advanced across the conveyor B toward the wrap ping machine B when the conveyor is in a dwell position, and that the block 155 is retracted while the conveyor B is making its next s'tep-by-step movement to advance a succeeding Wrapper a to the transfer station D. After each advance movement of the block 155 it is raised through the rod 165, arm 164, arms 162, 162, track 161 and roller 160 and remains raised during each retracting movement thereof. After each retracting movement the block 155 is permitted to lower through its own weight and the weight of track 161 and arms 162, 162' which are heavy enough to overcome the weight of arm 164 and rod 165 and the associated cam member. This lowering of block 155 takes place at the start of each cycle of operaof such members.

' fashion through its usual cycle of operations.

13 tion of the transfer mechanism H to permit the transfer members 156 carried thereby to engage the front wall of the leading box on conveyor I and to cause the box gripping members 158, 159 to grip the front wall of the box which had been moved from conveyor I into registered position on the rails 157 in the previous cycle. The lowering of block 155 also enables the vacuum gripping means 166 carried thereby to come into gripping relation with a wrapper registered at the transfer station. After the boxes and Wrapper have been so engaged, the block 155 advances in such lowered position transversely of the conveyor toward the wrapping machine to move the box on the conveyor I toward the rail 157 and to a position thereon in which such box will be in registry with the next succeeding wrapper. During such movement of the block 155 it moves the gripped associated box and wrapper toward the wrapper E which assembles the box with its associated wrapper and folds the latter around the box. After the associated box and wrapper have been so transferred, the block 155 is raised vertically to release the box registered on the rails 157 by the transfer members 156 and to a height which will enable the box gripping means thereof to pass freely over such released box. The block 155 is then retracted in its raised position to the initial starting position described, in position to start the next cycle of operation of the transfer mechanism.

As has been stated, while the block 155 is being so retracted, the conveyor B will advance one step to advance the next wrapper a into registry with the box which has been registered at the transfer station by the transfer members 156 during the previous advancing movement During such advancement of the next wrapper, the front or leading edge thereof will cut the scanning beam from the scanner unit 90 to create the signal which caused the box stayer F to stay and feed a new box to the conveyor I and which caused the release of the latched box in the second section of the line of boxes in such conveyor in the manner described. This I the outer end of plate 171 and normally biased by a spring 174 mounted on plate 171 into the path of movement of a collar 175 secured to rod 165. It will be understood that when the solenoid 170 is energized by a signal from the control box 121 as aforesaid, the armature thereof will withdraw the latch 173 from the path of movement of the collar 175 against the tension of spring 174. The

rod 165 therefore will be enabled to rise vertically to permit the block 155 to drop or lower vertically and thereby enable the transfer mechanism to proceed in a normal The solenoid will be deenergized after the rod 165 has been raised in the manner described to permit the latch member 173 to again come into locking association with the collar 175 when the cam controlling such rod moves it downwardly at the end of the advancing stroke of the carriage 150 and block 155. This is the manner in which the aforesaid mechanism will normally operate. However, should there be no next wrapper on the conveyor B in position to be advanced during said step of the latter into registration at the transfer station, there will be no signal transmitted by the scanner unit 90 during such advancing step and the solenoid 170 will not be energized. Consequently latch 173 will remain in the path of movement of the collar 175 and through the latter prevent the raising of rod 165 and the lowering of block 155 to permit the engagement of the transfer members 156 and the box gripping members 158, 159 with the boxes on conveyor 1 and the rails 157, respectively. However, the prevention of block 155 from dropping to accomplish these operations does not effect the cycling action of the carriage 1511 which will be caused at the proper time to advance toward the wrapper E as if the transfer members 156 and box gripping members 158 had performed their regular functions. As under such conditions of operation, the vacuum gripper means 166 carried by the block 155 and carriage 150 will not be lowered to the upper run 46 of conveyor B and a wrapper will not be in registered position at the transfer station, such vacuum gripper means will also move empty handed towards the wrapper E. Further, as the block 155 during this advancing movement is in a raised position, when the cam associated with rod 165 comes into position to move such rod downwardly to raise the block 155 at the end of the advancing movement of such block and carriage 150, it Will not effect such rod since the latter is already in lowered position. The carriage 150 and block 155 will return to their initial starting positions as usual and the manner in which they will operate from such positions in the next cycle will again depend on whether a wrapper a is being fed to the transfer station during such return movement thereof.

As has previously been indicated, whether or not a wrapper a is being fed to the transfer station during the return movement of the carriage also determines the manner in which the conveyor B is stopped to terminate such advancing step. Normally when the conveyor B during such step feeds a wrapper into registration at the transfer station to trailing edge of such wrapper will control the stoppage of the belt. As the leading edge of the wrapper will create a signal in the phototube 112 of the scanner unit in its passage through the beam forming the spot of light 113, the trailing edge of the wrapper will also create such a signal as it passes by such light spot 113 due to the sharp change in color as the light spot moves from the Wrapper back to the color line 161 in the upper run 46 of the conveyor. The signal thus created is received into the electronic control box 121 and in an amplified condition passes from the latter through the cables 127, 128 in FIGS. 1 and 7, and to the belt control solenoid 87 and belt control brake 38, respectively. As a result, the solenoid 87 will be energized to withdraw the latch plate 81 and thereby break the driving connection of the conveyor driving roller 55 with the constantly rotating drive shaft 64, and the electric brake 88 will be energized to grip shaft 56 to stop the travel of the belt in conveyor B, both of which operations are accomplished in the manner previously described. The scanning unit 90 is so positioned relative to the transfer station D that when it is actuated by the trailing edge of a Wrapper to cause the conveyor B to be stopped by the combined action of the solenoid 8'7 and electric brake 88, and the conveyor B is thereupon stopped, the wrapper causing such operations will be in properly registered position at the transfer station D. The position of the scanning unit 90 relative to the transfer station is adjusted in the manner previously described and once such adjustment has been made for any particular wrapper the wrappers will be fed to the same predetermined position at the transfer station each time the scanning unit is so operated.

The wires 127 and 128 from the solenoid 37 and brake 88 are also electrically connected in the electronic control box 121 to a cable 129 which leads to a microswitch 130 positioned in the timing cabinet 122 (note FIG. 7) and forming part of the mechanical control means for the solenoid and electric brake. The microswitch 130 is provided with a finger 131 carrying a roller 132 which is located in the path of movement of a switch actuating projection 133 provided on a cam 134. The shaft 135 supporting cam 134 is connected by sprocket and chain drive means which is designated generally by the numeral 136 in FIG. 7, to the line shaft 137 in FIGS. 5 and 7 extending from the cam shaft of the gluer and wrap feed machine A to the cam shaft of the transfer mechanism H. Shaft 137, therefore, will be caused to make one complete rotation in synchronism with the line shaft 137 and its associated shafts during each cycle of Operation of the system. Thus, in each cycle of the system, cam projection 133 will actuate switch finger 131 to close the microswitch 1313. The electrical connection of switch 130' with the scanner unit 91 is such that if the latter is not actuated by a wrapper to energize solenoid $7 and electric brake 83, the closing of switch 1311 will cause the energization of such devices to stop the conveyor B in the manner described. However, if the scanner unit is actuated by the presence of a wrapper on the conveyor run, switch 130 will be shunted and even though cam projection 133 closes the same, its closing will have no effect on the solenoid 87 and electric brake 88 which previously to such closing operation will have been energized by the operation of such unit. The closing of switch 130 by the above described mechanical control for the solenoid and electric brake, preferably occurs just after the instant of time in each cycle of the system in which the scanner unit would have been actuated had a Wrapper been 011 the conveyor run 46 to actuate it. By mechanically setting the earn 134, by trial, such control of switch 130 thereby can be adjusted so that although the conveyor belt will travel through a slightly greater distance of each cycle of operation of the mechanical control, the operations of the mechanical control and the scanner unit will be practically coincidental. It will thus be seen, that because of this arrangement, whether or not there are wrappers properly deposited on the conveyor run with none missing, the belt of the conveyor B will be stepped along for substantially the same intervals to maintain a substantially uniform spacing of those adjacent wrappers which have been placed on the belt. The feed of the wrappers by conveyor B therefore will adjust itself accurately to the feed of the boxes for such wrappers and the system cannot get out of order.

It will be noted that in an actual construction of a system such as is herein disclosed, the transfer station D may be spaced from 10 to 20 feet away from the entry end of conveyor B. It will be appreciated that over such a distance the conveyor belt is likely to weave substantially. Therefore, even though the wrappers a have been properly registered on the conveyor belt in the manner described so that their longitudinal centerlines are in alignment with the longitudinal centerline of the belt at the entry end of the conveyor, the centerline of such wrappers may not stay in alignment with the longitudinal centerline of the conveyor B at all positions of such conveyor. Consequently, it may not be possible to properly register a particular wrapper with a box at the transfer station D. In order to assure such registration of the box and wrapper even though the centerline of the conveyor belt itself at such station may be substantially transversely displaced from the longitudinal centerline of the conveyor, there is provided a second scanner unit 180 at the place of rest of the wrappers from which they move in one step to the transfer station and which is indicated in FIGS. 1 and 5 of the drawings by the numeral 179. Thus the scanner unit 180' will be located upstream from the scanner unit 90 which will be located between unit 180 and the transfer station D. The scanner unit 180 is substantially similar in construction to the scanner unit 94} and is connected to a suitable circuit provided therefore in the electronic control box 121. The scanner unit 180 is mounted on a threaded rod 181 which is rotatably supported by a combined bracket and guide member 182 secured to the suction box 45 of the conveyor B. The outer end of rod 181 has secured thereto a sprocket 183' which is engaged by a driving chain 184 that extends longitudinally of the conveyor on both sides of such sprocket. The chain 184 is engaged at one end with a sprocket 185 and extends up to the transfer station Where its forward end is mounted on a sprocket 186.

Sprocket 185 is mounted on the outer projecting end of a rotatable shaft 187 which is provided at its inner end with a bevel gear 188 adapted to mesh with a pair of opposed spaced bevel gears 189, 190. Bevel gear 189 is associated with an electric clutch 191 secured to line shaft 137 and energizable to advance such gear into engagement with bevel gear 188 to establish a driving connection between shaft 137 and shaft 187 such as will rotate the latter in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in FIG. 5 of the drawings. Similarly, bevel gear 190 is associated with an electric clutch 192 secured to line shaft 137 and energizable to advance such gear into engagement with bevel gear 188 to establish a driving connection between shaft 137 and shaft 187 such as will rotate the latter in the opposite direction or clockwise as viewed in FIG. 5. The energization of clutch 191 is controlled by a microswitch 193 connected by a cable 19 to the circuit in control box 121 for the auxiliary scanner 180 (note FIG. 7). The switch 193 is operated cyclically by a cam 195 in the timing cabinet 122 in the same manner as microswitch 131) is operated by cam 134 to energize the electric clutch 191. Cam 195 is designed to cause the energization of clutch 191 soon after the conveyor B comes to a dwell at the end of each step of movement thereof. In a similar fashion the enrgization of clutch 192 is controlled by a microswitch 196 located in cabinet 122 and connected by a cable 197 to the circuit in control box 121 for the auxiliary scanner 180. The switch 196 is operated by a cam 198 to energize the electric clutch 192 in each period of dwell after the shaft 157 has completed its counterclockwise rotational movement in such period and the clutch 191 is again deenergized.

Chain sprocket 186 is mounted on a threaded rod 205 which is rotatably supported by the frame member 172 carries at its inner end a stop member 206 positioned in the path of movement of the carriage so as to be engaged by the latter in its retracted position. The link member 152 connecting lever arm 153 and shaft 154 to carriage 150 is resiliently connected to the carriage by means of a spring 207 so that while lever arm 153 has a fixed range of pivotal movement, carriage 150 may be provided With a variable range of reciprocating movement which is determined in one direction by the adjustable stop 206. The carriage 150 is limited in its advancing movements towards the wrapping machine H by a fixed stop in the manner described in said Patent No. 2,961,931.

It will be understood from the foregoing description of the scanner unit and the associated parts, that in the use of such mechanism to make allowance at the transfer station for any transverse displacement of the wrapper a to be next fed to such station due to belt weave or other causes, the unit 180 is initially set so that the beam thereof shines on the conveyor run 46 at a point approximately A1 inch to the right of the right hand edge of the wrapper in the theoretical position thereof at said place of rest 179, when facing along the feed of the conveyor toward the transfer station. This set position of the scanner beam is indicated generally in FIG. 5 by the numeral 210. It may be that the unit 180 has moved towards the longitudinal center line of the conveyor B in the previous cycle so it will be necessary to first return the beamto the set position before locating the position of the Wrapper relation to such centerline in a particular period of dwell. The sequence of operations is as follows. At the end of each stepby-step movement of conveyor B a wrapper 211 in FIG. 5 will be advanced to the place of rest 179 and the wrapper 212 which during such movement has moved from such place of rest, will be advanced to the transfer station D into registration with a set-up box 213 which has been registered at such station prior to such advancing movement of conveyor B. As soon as the conveyor B stops moving, wrapper 212 and box 213 will be picked up by the transfer mechanism H and moved toward the wrapper E for assembly together as has been explained. At the same time cam in the timing cabinet 122 will actuate the microswitch 193 to energize electric clutch 191 and thereby cause shaft 187 to be driven in a counterclockwise direction by shaft 137. Sprocket 185, chain 184, sprocket 183 and rod 181 will be likewise rotated counterclockwise to return the scanner unit 180 to its set position in the event that it has moved to the left therefrom in the previous advancing movement of conveyor B. The rotation of chain 184 will also cause sprocket 186 and rod 205 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction to move the stop 206 to the right away from the centerline of conveyor B a distance similar to that through which the scanner unit 180 is moved. When the beam of the scanner unit has reached the set position 210 the unit 18dcloses a switch 209 mounted on the bracket 182 and included in the circuit of such unit so that when thus closed it operates to shunt switch 193 which is still under the control of cam 195 and thereby deenergize electric clutch 191 to stop the counterclockwise rotation of the rods 181 and 265. The cam 198 then actuates microswitch 196 to energize the electric clutch 192 and thereby cause shaft 187 to be driven in a clockwise direction by shaft 137. Rods 181 and 285 will likewise be rotated in a clockwise direction to cause the scanner unit 180 and stop 206 to move to the left or toward the centerline of the conveyor B until the scanner unit detects the right hand edge of the wrapper 211 whereupon it will send a signal to control box 121 wherein electrical means in the circuit of unit 181) will operate to shunt switch 196 and thereby deenergize electric clutch 192 to break the driving connection between shafts 137 and 187. The movements of the scanner unit 180 and carriage stop 206 will be simultaneously halted with the disengagement of such shafts. As a result of such shifting of the position of the stop 286, the carriage 150 in its return movement to retracted position as the wrapper 211 moves to the transfer station D, will be stopped at the new adjusted position for that wrapper. Consequently, when the block 155 then descends at the start of a new cycle of the transfer mechanism H as previously explained, the open box grippers 158, 159, as they are being closed, will shift the box from the position it has been deposited on the rails 157 by the transfer members 158 until it is centralized over or registered with relation to the wrapper 211. The box and wrapper thus properly registered under actual working conditions will be transported in such registered relation to the wrapper machine E on the next advancing movement of the transfer mechanism H.

While we have hereinabove described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of our invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in the construction thereof may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims. Thus, for example, instead of registering the wrappers on the conveyor B by the coaction of the roll 39 and shoes 30 in the manner previously explained, it is within the contemplation of the invention to accomplish such registration without the aid of the shoes 30 and by modifying the construction of the conveyor driving roller 55 so that suction can be applied also to the portion of the conveyor run which encloses such roller. As is shown in FIG. 11 of the drawings, this may be accomplished by making conveyor driving roller 55 a hollow roller and providing the cylindrical wall thereof with a plurality of holes 228 so that communication is provided between the interior of such roller and the perforated surface of the portion of the conveyor run enclosing such roller. The ends of roller 55' are closed by end walls 221 to form the interior of the roller into a suction chamber. At least one of the end walls 121 is provided with an inlet aperture 222 through which the suction chamber is brought into communication with a source of suction. As indicated in FIG. 11, suction may be applied to the suction chamber through a passageway 223 suitably connected at one end with the wall 221 of 7 such chamber and connected at its other end with the suction box 45' of the conveyor B. It is believed evident that in the use of this construction, as the wrapper a is deflected by the pick-off device 38 into contact with the portion of the conveyor belt surrounding the roller 55, the suction applied at the exterior surface of such portion will immediately and positively grip the wrapper and hold it in registered relation on the conveyor belt as the latter advances toward the transfer station D.

We claim:

1. In a box making system, a transfer station, means for successively advancing boxes to said transfer station, means for supporting a stack of wrappers, means for advancing wrappers for said boxes from such stack to said transfer station, means for transporting a box and wrapper registered at said transfer station from the latter to a second station, and means at said second station for uniting said transported box and wrapper, said wrapper advancing means including a conveyor, means for successively removing wrappers from said stack and applying adhesive thereto, and means for feeding a glued wrapper to the entry end of said conveyor and during such feed exerting a positive control on such glued wrapper such as to deposit it on such conveyor in proper lateral registration relative to its place of registration at said transfer station.

2. In a box making system, a transfer station, means for successively advancing boxes to said transfer station, means for supporting a stack of wrappers, means for advancing wrappers for said boxes from such stack to said transfer station, means for transporting a box and Wrapper registered at said transfer station from the latter to a second station, and means at said second station for uniting said transported box and wrapper, said wrapper advancing means including a conveyor having suction applied at the wrapper carrying surface thereof to maintain the wrappers in position thereon, means for successively removing wrappers from said stack and applying adhesive thereto, and means for feeding a glued wrap per to the entry end of said conveyor including two rotatable feed members located at the entry end of said conveyor for maintaining positive firm control of a wrapper until sufiicient thereof has been firmly gripped by the vacuum of said conveyor, and deflecting means coacting with one of said rotatable feed members to direct a glued wrapper between said rotatable feed members in proper registered relation relative to its place of registration at said transfer station.

3. A box making system such as defined in claim 2, in which one of said rotatable feed members is a feed roller having a peripheral line of contact substantially in the plane of the upper run of said conveyor, and in which the other of said rotatable feed members comprises a shoe having an arcuate peripheral surface arranged to ride on said feed roller at said line of contact to clamp a wrapper therebetween, and means for intermittently bringing said shoe into coactive relation with said feed roller.

4. A box making system such as defined in claim 2 in which one of said rotatable feed members is located below a plane containing the upper run of the conveyor and in which the other of said feed members is located above such plane, the line of contact of such members being substantially contained in said plane, and in which the wrapper engaging surface of said upper feed member is composed of a material that is nonadherent to the adhesive on the wrapper.

5. In a box making system, a transfer station, means for successively advancing boxes to said station, means for successively advancing wrappers for said boxes to said station, means controlled by the boxes advancing to said station for controlling the means for advancing the wrappers thereto and operable to cause said wrapper advancing means to feed a particular wrapper for each box and to render said wrapper advancing means inoperative to feed in a wrapper when said box advancing means fails to feed a box for such partciular wrapper, and means for transferring a box and wrapper delivered to said station to mechanism for assembling the same together.

6. In a box making system, a transfer station, means for advancing a line of boxes to said station, means for supporting a stack of wrappers for said boxes, means for successively advancing wrappers from said stack to said transfer station, means controlled by the number of boxes in said line thereof for controlling said wrapper advancing means and operative when the number of boxes in said line falls below a predetermined number thereof to render said wrapper advancing means in operative to advance wrappers from said stack, and means for transfer ring a box and wrapper delivered to said station to mechanism for assembling the same together.

7. In a box making system, a transfer station, means for advancing a line of boxes to said station, means for supporting a stack of wrappers for said boxes, means for successively advancing wrappers from said stack to said transfer station including a vacuum feeder operable to successively remove individual wrappers from said stack, a detector associated with said line of boxes for detecting the box in said line which will use a wrapper to be fed by said vacuum feeder, means controlled by said detector to interrupt the vacuum to said vacuum feeder in the event the number of boxes in said line falls below a given number so as not to include a box which will use such wrapper to be fed, and means for transferring a box and wrapper delivered to said station to mechanism for assem bling the same together.

8. In a box making system, a transfer station, means for supporting a stack of wrappers, means for successively advancing wrappers from said stack to said transfer station including a continuously cycling vacuum feeder operable to successively remove individual wrappers from said stack, and means to supply vacuum to said feeder each time it moves to a wrapper removing position relative to said stack and to maintain such vacuum condition in such feeder until the wrapper is removed from the stack, a continuously driven box feeder for advancing boxes to said transfer station, a stop associated with said box feeder adjacent to said transfer station, a detector associated with said box feeder at a point spaced in back of said stop to detect a box advanced by said feeder past such point and toward said stop, means controlled by said detector for controlling said vacuum supply means and operative to interrupt the supply of vacuum from said supply means to said vacuum feeder without interfering with the cyclic action of the latter when the box to be assembled with the Wrapper which would otherwise be fed by said vacuum feeder is not fed by said feeder past said detector, and means for transferring a box and wrapper delivered to said station to mechanism for assembling the same together.

9. In a box making system, a station, means for advancing box elements to said station including a conveyor, means for moving said conveyor intermittently to advance the box elements thereon in a step-by-step fashion, a pair of controls for controlling the interval of movement of said conveyor in each advancing step thereof, one of said controls being positioned adjacent to the path of movement of the box elements on said conveyor and being operable by said elements to control said conveyor moving means, and the other of said controls being operable to control said conveyor moving means in the absence of the box element to operate said one control.

10. In a box making system, a station, means for advancing box elements to said station including a conveyor, means for moving said conveyor intermittently to advance the box elements thereon in a step-by-step fashion, a pair of controls for controlling the interval of movement of said conveyor in each advancing step thereof, one of said controls being positioned adjacent to the path of movement of the box elements on said conveyor and being operable by said elements to control said conveyor moving means, and the other of said controls comprising a constantly rotating cam having a predetermined setting and means operable by said cam to control said conveyor moving means.

11. In a box making system, a station, means for advncing box elements to said station including a conveyor, means for moving said conveyor intermittently to advance the box elements thereon in a stepby-step fashion, a pair of controls for controlling the interval of movement of said conveyor in each advancing step thereof, one of said controls being positioned adjacent to the path of movement of the box elements on said conveyor and being operable by said elements to control said conveyor moving means, and the other of said controls comprising timing means and means operable by said timing means to control said conveyor moving means in the absence of a box element to operate said one control, the setting of said timing means being greater than the interval in which said one control would have been operated by a box element if present on the conveyor.

12. In a box making system, a station, means for advancing box elements to said station including a conveyor, means for moving said conveyor intermittently to advance the box elements thereon in a step-by-step fashion, a pair of controls for controlling the interval of movement of said conveyor in each advancing step thereof, one of said controls being positioned adjacent to the path of movement of the box elements on said conveyor and being operable by said elements to control said conveyor moving means, and the other of said controls being operable at given uniform intervals to control said conveyor moving means in the absence of a box element to operate said one control, said controls being so constructed and arranged that when a box element is present on said conveyor the operation of said other control is shunted and when a wrap is not present on said conveyor said one control is inoperative and said other control is operative.

13. In a box making system, a station, means for advancing box elements to said station including a conveyor, means for intermittently moving said conveyor to advance the box elements in a step-by-step fashion to said station including a continuously operated drive shaft, a driving roller for the belt of said conveyor, a clutch interposed between said drive shaft and said driving roller, and means for declutching said clutch after an interval of advancing movement of said conveyor belt, said declutching means comprising a first control having a control device positioned adjacent to the path of movement of the box elements on the conveyor and operable by said elements to cause said first control to release said clutch, and another control operable to release said clutch after a given interval in the absence of a box element to opcrate said first control.

14. A box making system such as defined in claim. 13 in which said first control is electrically operated by a pulse created by a box element on said conveyor, and in which said other control is operated by mechanical timing means.

15. A box making system such as defined in claim 14 in which said timing means is set to operate after said first control means should have been operated by a box element had it been present on the conveyor.

16. A box making system such as defined in claim 13 including braking mechanism associated with said clutch and controlled by both of said controls to brake said conveyor driving roller as soon as said clutch is released.

17. In a box making system, a station, means for ad vancing box elements to said station including a conveyor, means for intermittently moving said conveyor to advance the box elements in a step-by-step fashion to said station including a continuously operated drive shaft, a driving roller for the belt of said conveyor, a clutch interposed between said drive shaft and said driving roller, means for automatically closing said clutch at given intervals to correct said roller to said drive shaft, latch means automatically operable on the closing of said clutch to lock the latter in closed position, and means controlling the releasement of said latch means to permit the clutch means to open including a first control having a control device positioned adjacent to the path of movement of the box elements on the conveyor and operable by said elements to cause said first control to release said latch means, and another control operable to release said latch means after a given control in the absence of a box element to operate said first control.

18. In a box making system, a station, means for advancing box elements to said station including a conveyor, means for intermittently moving said conveyor to advance the box elements in a step-by-step fashion to said station including a continuously operated drive shaft, a driving roller for the belt of said conveyor, a clutch interposed between said drive shaft and said driving roller, means for automatically closing said clutch at given intervals to connect said roller to said drive shaft, latch means automatically operable on the closing of said clutch to lock the latter in closed position, means normally operable after a given interval to declutch said clutch means, but prevented from doing so by said locked latch means, said operable means when actuated applying a pressure to said clutch tending to declutch the same, and means controlling the releasement of said latch means to permit the clutch means to open including a first control having a control device positioned adjacent to the path of movement of the box elements on the conveyor and operable by said elements to cause said first control to release said latch means, and another control operable to release said latch means after a given control in the absence of a box element to operate said first control, said operable means when aid latch means are released being automatically operable to open said clutch.

119. In a box making system, sheet feeding means, a conveyor for successively transporting a plurality of spaced box wrappers to said sheet feeding means, means for intermittently driving said conveyor, means to intermittently disengage said conveyor from said driving means to register the leading wrapper thereon relative to said wrapper feeding means, a signalling device positioned adjacent to the path of movement of said wrappers and operable by the leading Wrapper on said conveyor to send a signal to said disengaging means to disconnect said conveyor from said driving means, means for sending a second signal prior to the reduction of the conveyor velocity to zero following the operation of said disengaging means, and a brake mechanism controlled by said second signal and operative on receipt of the same to arrest the motion of said conveyor when the kinetic energy of the conveyor is at a low level.

20. In a box making system, the method of registering a box element in registration with a box element removal means, which comprises feeding the box elements to a transport conveyor while the latter is in motion, moving the conveyor through a series of successive steps to bring each box element into the range of operation of a box element detector before it moves to the place of registration, detecting the passage of such box element with said detector and utilizing the signal so obtained to first disengage the conveyor from its driving means and then absorb the kinetic energy in the conveyor.

21. In a box making system, the method of registering a box element in registration with a box element removal means, which comprises feeding the box elements to a transport conveyor while the latter is in motion, moving the conveyor through a series of successive steps to bring each box element into proximity with the removal means, disengaging the conveyor from its driving means while the conveyor has sufiicient kinetic energy to carry the leading box element past the place of registration with said removal means, and then absorbing the residual kinetic energy from the conveyor just as the box element moves 22 into registration with said removal means at said place of registration.

22. In a box making system, a transfer station, a box wrapping machine, means for feeding a box and Wrapper registered at said transfer station to said wrapping machine, a conveyor for transporting a series of successive wrappers to said transfer station, a detector responsive to the wrappers on said conveyor, and means controlled by said detector and controlling said feeding means, said controlling means being operated by said detector when a wrapper is missing from said series to prevent said feeding means feeding a box from said transfer station to said wrapping machine.

23. In a box making system, a transfer station, a box wrapping machine, means for feeding a box and wrapper registered at said transfer station to said wrapping machine, a guideway at said transfer station for box bodies, said feeding means being constructed for motion toward and away from said guideway and operative in its movement toward said guideway to engage a box body on said .guideway, a conveyor for transporting a series of successive wrappers to said transfer station, a detector responsive to the wrappers on said conveyor, and means controlled by said detector and controlling said feeding means, said controlling means being operated by said detector when a wrapper is missing from said series to prevent said feeding means moving toward said guideway and thereby preventing the feed of a box from said transfer station to said wrapping machine.

24. In a box making system, a transfer station, a box wrapping machine, means for feeding a box and wrapper registered at said transfer station to said wrapping machine, a box making machine, means for feeding boxes from said box making machine to said transfer station, a conveyor for transpogting a series of successive wrappers to said transfer station, a detector responsive to the wrappers on said conveyor, and means controlled by said detector and controlling said feeding means, said controlling means being operated by said detector when a wrapper is missing from said series to prevent said feeding means feeding a box from said transfer station to said wrapping machine, and means controlled by said detector and operative to render said box machine inactive each time said detector means signals that a wrapper is missing rom said series thereof.

25. In a box making system, a transfer station, a continuously driven box wrapping machine, continuously operating means for feeding box elements in the form of a box and wrapper registered at said transfer station to said wrapping machine, means for feeding a series of successive wrappers to said transfer station, a box making machine, means for feeding boxes from said box making machine to said transfer station, detecting means operable to detect a wrapper or box missing from the series thereof being fed to said transfer station, and means controlled by said detecting means and operative to prevent the addition of a box element to one of said series when a box element of the other series is missing therefrom to maintain the feed of said box elements in proper balance.

26. In a box making system such as defined in claim 25, in which said detecting means includes a detector associated with the line of feed of boxes from said box making machine, and in which the means controlled by said detector renders said wrapper feeding means inoperative to supply a wrapper from a stack thereof to said series of wrappers when a box is missing from such line of feed thereof.

27. In a box making system such as defined in claim 25, in which said detecting means includes a photoelectric scanning unit associated with said line of feed of wrappers, and in which the means controlled by said scanning unit prevents said feeding means from feeding a box to said Wrapping machine when a wrapper is missing from such series thereof.

28. In a box making system such as defined in claim 25,

23 in which said detecting means includes a photoelectric scanning unit associated with said line of feed of wrappers, and in which the means controlled by said scanning unit renders said box making machine inoperative to make a box each time said scanning unit signals that a wrapper is missing from said series thereof.

29. In a box making system such as defined in claim 25, in which said detecting means comprises a photoelectric scanning unit associated with said line of feed of Wrappers and operative to send a signal to said controlled means when the leading edge of a wrapper passes the same, and in which said wrapper feeding means includes means for advancing said series of wrappers in a stepby-step fashion to said transfer station, said scanning unit controlling said advancing means and being operative to send a signal to render said advancing means inoperative when the trailing edge of the same wrapper passes the same.

30. In a box making system, a transfer station, a box wrapping machine, means for feeding a box and wrapper from a place of registration at said transfer station to said wrapping machine, an adjustable stop for positioning said feeding means relative to said place of registration at said transfer station, a conveyor for transporting a series of successive wrappers to: said transfer station, a detector for detecting the transverse position of each wrapper on said conveyor relative to said place of registration, and means controlled by said detector and operative to adjust said stop in correspondence with the position of a wrapper to be fed to said transfer station from the series thereof relative to said place of registration.

31. In a box making system, a transfer station, a box wrapping machine, means for feeding a box and wrapper from a place of registration at said transfer station to said wrapping machine, an adjustable stop for positioning said feeding means relative to said place of registration at said transfer station, a conveyor for transporting a series of successive wrappers to said transfer station, a detector for detecting the transverse postiion of each wrapper on said conveyor relative to said place of registration, and means controlled by said detector and operative to adjust said stop in correspondence with the position of a wrapper to be fed to said transfer station from the series thereof relative to said place of registration, a second detector located between said first detector and said transfer station and operated by the wrapper being fed to said transfer station, and means controlled by said second detector for limiting the travel of said conveyor so that successive wrappers in said series thereof will have the same relation to said feeding means on each successive cycle of said feeding means.

32. In a box making system, a transfer station, a box wrapping machine, means for feeding a box and wrapper from a place of registration at said transfer station to said wrapping machine, stops at the ends of the reciprocating movements of said feeding means to determine its stopping position at each end of its stroke, the stop at the end of its advancing stroke toward the wrapping machine having a fixed relation to the form block structure in said wrapping machine, the stop at the other end of the stroke being adjustable, a conveyor for advancing box wrappers to a place of registration at said transfer station, and means for adjusting said adjustable stop in relation to the position a wrapper being fed to said transfer station bears with respect to the longitudinal center line of the conveyor.

33. In a box making system, a box wrapping machine, a transfer station located adjacent to said Wrapping machine, means for feeding a box and wrapper simultaneously and in registered relation from said transfer station to said wrapping machine, means for feeding a box and Wrapper from separate sources of supply thereof to said transfer station, and means associated with said transfer station and coacting with an edge of a Wrapper fed to said transfer station to bring such wrapper into a position of register with its associated'box at said transfer station prior to the feed of such box and wrapper to said wrapping machine.

34. In a box making system, a box wrapping machine, a transfer station located adjacent to said Wrapping machine, means for feeding a box and wrapper simultaneously and in registered relation from said transfer station to said wrapping machine, means for feeding a box and wrapper from separate sources of supply thereof to said transfer station, and means associated with said transfer station and coacting with an edge of a wrapper fed to said transfer station to bring such wrapper into a position of register with its associated box at said transfer station prior to the feed of such box and wrapper to said wrapping station, said operative means being constructed and arranged to coact with an edge of the wrapper fed to said transfer station that is perpendicular to the line of motion of the wrapper as it moves into the transfer station.

35. In a box making system such as defined in claim 34 in which said means for feeding a wrapper from the source of supply thereof to the transfer station comprises a conveyor, and in which said operative means comprises a downwardly projecting element extending from above the wrapper towards the conveyor and coactable with said perpendicular 'edge when the latter moves into engagement therewith in the advancing motion of the wrapper.

36. In a box making system such as defined in claim 35, in which said operative means is so constructed and arranged that said downwardly projecting element coacts with the trailing edge of the advancing wrapper to cause said operative means to effect said registration of the wrapper with its associated box.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,699,115 Davidson Jan. 11, 1955 2,776,224 Cote Jan. 1, 1957 2,867,158 Andresen et a1. Jan. 6, 1959 

